The Urban Birder Tours
Our birding tours take you from being in the middle of somewhere to the outer reaches of nowhere and back again.
The Urban Birder tours differ from other birding and wildlife trips because we always include an urban element. Despite urban birding being in our blood we are not shy to wander into the middle of rural idylls in search of wildlife.
We always try to choose destinations that are overlooked, unusual and rich in birding. And with the more familiar places, we always try to find the places that others don’t think of.
The Urban Birder Tour ethos is based on leisurely birding and certainly does not involve rushing around ticking lists and chasing after rarities. We’re into fully enjoying the wildlife that we discover and we also love having fun, soaking up the local culture.
We at The Urban Birder Tours are not travel agents. We are tour guides. Our tours are mainly facilitated by either of two reputable UK based ABTA and ATOL bonded travel agents:
Travel The Unknown
www.traveltheunknown.com
Shetland Wildlife Holidays
http://www.shetlandwildlife.co.uk
There are also a few tours that we conduct via travel agents based abroad. In those instances, every care is taken in making sure that we are dealing with established and reputable companies.
We personally put these companies to the test, visiting the potential locations and doing the tour ourselves to make sure that all is well.
Please be assured that we deal with only the best travel agents and your safety, enjoyment of your holiday and peace of mind is paramount. Terms and conditions, travel insurance advice and healthcare guidance can be found within the booking details of each tour, which is available from the respective travel agent websites.
The Urban Birder Tours offered are all conceived by me but not necessarily led by me. I have a team of brilliant leaders who are experienced urban birders that know and love their birds. They will fully cater for you making sure that you don’t miss a feather and will always lead tours at your pace putting your needs first.
Tour Dates:
Autumn 2015
2015
Winter Tour 2015
The Urban Birder Tour Team
David Lindo
TUB Leader
David has been watching birds since he was a boy and spent his childhood and youth learning about the birds in his urban neighbourhood. He has now visited over 250 cities worldwide in search of birds but despite his moniker, he is equally at home on a deserted island – provided there are birds to watch!
Sacha Barbato
TUB Leader
Sacha started out seeking birds in the 80’s alongside David Lindo in the green urban patches of London. He now resides in the wilder expanses of Norfolk but has never forgotten his urban roots. He has worked in the travel industry for over twenty years and has a wealth of birding experience in over thirty countries including Madagascar, Thailand, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, throughout Europe and the Americas.
Rick & Elis Simpson
TUB Leader
Rick Simpson is a life-long birder. He has gone from being a local patch watcher, twitcher to world birder. He first started guiding in the eighties and now has birding experience on all six permanently inhabited continents. Rick and his wife Elis are the founders of Wader Quest http://www.waderquest.org and have travelled globally in search of the world’s waders to raise money for conservation.
Howard Vaughan
TUB Leader
Birding has been in Howard’s blood ever since picking up a pair of bins as child in 1977. Now the warden at RSPB Rainham Marshes, Howard has over 35 years of knowledge, passion and insight into birds and other wildlife both close to home and further afield.
João Jara
TUB Leader
João met David Lindo in 2009 when he guided him around the Lisbon Estuaries and the Alentejo Region – David’s favourite part of Portugal.
João, who is fluent in English, was born in Lisbon and is a birder at heart with about 30 years of experience in the field. He’s a well respected birder not only in his native Portugal but also across the world. He was a board member of SPEA (BirdLife Portugal), a voting member of the Portuguese Rarities Committee (2005-2011) and Chairman of the Committee (2007-2011).
João has authored and co-authored many articles on birds. He is an accomplished tour leader in both his native Portugal and abroad plus runs bird identification courses.